Originally by Ranker TVList RulesVote up the best documentary TV series that have ever aired.
The best documentary TV shows make learning an entertaining journey that viewers don’t want to end. After all, who doesn’t want another season of Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey? Other great documentary shows include the Emmy-winning hit Planet Earth and NOVA. But which TV documentary shows are the best? See what lifelong fans of learning think in the ranking below.
If you’ve ever wanted to know how a pistol is made for instance, Tales of the Gun goes in-depth on the construction of important handguns. Even if you have zero interest in a topic, a good documentary show will get you hooked on the subject while explaining it thoroughly. Sure, you may never need to know how far the Moon is from the Earth, but it could come in handy during a bar trivia night.
Some documentary TV shows—specifically travel documentaries—let you live vicariously through the host. Never been to Italy? Well, Anthony Bourdain can virtually transport you there with his exciting food adventures and soothing voice. If you prefer cooking more than traveling, you’d probably be interested in these food documentaries as well.
For those curious who hosts a particular documentary TV show, details such as host and cast are included below when available. So vote up your favorite documentary TV shows below or add any that you feel should be on the list. After all, the best documentary TV shows are something that should be shared. If you're wonding what the newest documentary shows are, check out docuseries airing in 2019.
1
19019Planet Earth 2
Sir David AttenboroughPremiered: 2016
Network: BBC One
2
172116Planet Earth
Sigourney WeaverPremiered: 2006
Network: BBC One, BBC HD
3
7645Dirty Jobs
Mike Rowe, David M. BarskyPremiered: 2003
Network: Discovery Channel
4
7328Cosmos
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl SaganPremiered: 2014
Network: Fox Broadcasting Company
5
6431Nova
Jay O. Sanders, Lance LewmanPremiered: 1974
Network: Public Broadcasting Service
6
5831I Shouldn't Be Alive
Sebastian Knapp, Eric MeyersPremiered: 2005
Network: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet
7
7836Making a Murderer
Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey8
5225Modern Marvels
Lloyd Sherr, Harlan SapersteinPremiered: 1995
Network: H2, The History Channel
9
5642Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
Anthony BourdainPremiered: 2005
Network: Travel Channel
10
19111
3622Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Jaromír HanzlíkPremiered: 1980
Network: Public Broadcasting Service
12
4436Antiques Roadshow
Bruce Parker, Angela RipponPremiered: 1979
Network: BBC One
13
3022In Search of...
Leonard Nimoy, Mitch PileggiPremiered: 1976
Network: Syndicated, Syfy, History
14
2721From the Earth to the Moon
Tom Hanks, Nick SearcyPremiered: 1998
Network: HBO
15
262030 for 30
Dan Rather, Magic JohnsonPremiered: 2009
Network: ESPN
16
4643River Monsters
Jeremy Wade, Daniel GözPremiered: 2009
Network: Animal Planet
17
2527Who Do You Think You Are?
David Morrissey, Mark StrongPremiered: 2004
Network: British Broadcasting Corporation
18
1420American Masters
Julianna Margulies, Laura LinneyPremiered: 1986
Network: Public Broadcasting Service
19
1322Animal Precinct
Michael Madsen, Timothy StackPremiered: 2001
Network: Animal Planet
20
2033Ice Road Truckers
Alex Debogorski, Thom BeersPremiered: 2007
Network: The History Channel
21
1124Pole to Pole
Michael PalinPremiered: 1992
Network: British Broadcasting Corporation
22
9832Forensic Files
Dayle Hinman, Peter ThomasPremiered: 1996
Network: truTV, TLC
23
8237Cold Case Files
Danny Pino, Anthony GreenPremiered: 1999
Network: A&E
24
5821Wild Kingdom
Marlin Perkins, Jim FowlerPremiered: 1963
Network: Animal Planet, NBC
25
4719The FBI Files
James Kallstrom, Anthony D. CallPremiered: 1998
Network: Discovery Channel
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25